The Sorrow Stone

When getting paid for “traffic stop” a few more Mr Johnsons have “arrived”.
They are concerned about what might happen and are willing to pay you to go in and stop it once and for all. In fact quite a lot of Yen is on offer.

planning… planning…….
find out they have 24 guards with 8 on each 8 hrs, 3 shamans (initiate 4+).
rethink… planning….

Zero is still digging, tho the Company is all cash funded, once it started spending it becomes more traceable. So not much about who’s behind it but quite a bit on where their money is going.
Employees are all on short contracts due to expire at the end of April. The land is owned out right.
Catering and cleaning are out sourced to reputable companies. paid to the end of the month.
There is some out of office time working. mainly around the arrival of special order parts.
There is some state of the art computing and comms being bought and fitted as well as some custom chips being made to order. ( Zero is very interested in this info ).
… time passes …
Zero gets back to you with address on the “3” shammans. At least one is a fake sin. Its possible that one shaman is faking being 2 of them ( double pay ). This would make their magic cover a spread a bit thin.
The guards 8 at a time. 2 are ex-merc with combat experience but the shifts are filled out with 6 rent a cops types.
Zero gets the impression the company is trying to look as secure and stable as possible while burning as much of its capital as it can to get things done by the end of the month. Tho against that they have somewhere an elite hacker keeping all the fake sins, backgrounds up to date.
…

on flight Mr Hinton, Uncle Ho, Hicks(troll), Wilson, Clark
professional crew obviously worked together including Mr Hinton.
Uncle Ho was unexpected but shown great respect.
uneventful flight down, “interesting” landing onto short jungle runway,
On closer inspection runway is camouflaged tarmac (still scraly short)
ramshackled buildings and local area hides a well maintained and organised operation.
Illegally collecting magical animals and material, presumably to be smuggled out of the Amazon.
Boss Pedro is surprised to see Mr Hinton and is quick to make sure every thing is in order.
Drago, Pedro’s second in command covertly gives Uncle Ho (who he has assumed is Mr Hinton’s second ), the heads up about a hidden tracker and remote control on the helicopter.
Uncle Ho gets Clark to temporally disable it and jokingly comments to Mr Hintons that Drago is Machiavellian enough to be one of yours. Mr Hinton smiles, “Drago is a long term project”.
Its becoming clear Mr Hinton is much more the head of security for Jade Films Seatle.
Wendy gets Zero onto finding out more. Uncle Ho relationship to Mr Hinton is another thing Wendy is intrigued by.

Clark and the team fly into the jungle …
Odo extraction … [ could someone write this up , and ill fill in / correct if needed }
unknown to anyone outside of the team you end up with one of the stones ( the Indian one }

after… Odo needed medical attention and does not say much, he’s disappointed to loose the stones and is unclear where the mechaniods came from. As far as he can make out the “came through” at the same time he did and set about killing the local wild life in the chamber. Odo Hid and was ignored. A “shadow man” came through hours later and went out side and did not return. The jungle was much quieter after than. The mechaniods stated on widening the tunnel. They are better at killing than digging and had made little progress.
The tenticals came an went from time to time but didn’t leave the chamber. Odo tried to leave but each time he came in sight of the mech’s they turned to attack him and then ignored him. Odo was too scared to push his luck with the mechs, tho soon lack of food and water would have driven him to try.
flight back….
Mr Hinton left the missile system for Pedro and took with him a couple of boxes.
uneventful flight back, at Airport. Mr Hinton drops his aloof/focused/leader personality for the last few minutes of the flight and seems genuinely pleased with things. He gives the credit to Tash, a box to Uncle Ho, and smiles at link saying “a little bird said you like shiny things” and throws Link a remote key.

odo -
university – professor Trent
friend – David Novas
Zero says Odo was the person changing 100K+ to script. starting about 22 Feb.
both Odo and David are missing

Odo seems to have disappeared form his room.

Jack tracks dark cloud to Arky Spark Magic Emporium. Owner dead, all magic gone.
Wendy noticed the gardens Kami had gone.
and had offered to help the Mansons with returning Kami to the garden.

Link – acquired two items from shop. An address book ( clients and suppliers ) and bracelet he thought was sparkly.

ledgelas had Mr Hinton list “new” things that had appeared in Odo’s room recently.
Maps South America, Germany.
History of the Brotherhood.
historical Myths and Legends referring to magic in various cultures and civilisations.
Zero finds Odo had been doing lots of cross referencing try to pick out common things, which lead him to go to Germany presumably to visit the brotherhood.

the team went over to Davids flat, Ledgelas found a magically hidden compartment.
Containing Davids Sin card and other id items, Also some id items relating to David Ushban.
Zero says Ushban is a fairly good fake sin, and he crossed legally into the Indian territories 24th Feb and was arrested on restricted Indian lands and is severing 21 days starting 1st March.

Having decided to retroactively make some money rather wait around to do nice karma runs.

After some debate as to the which types on money acquirements the team was prepared to do it became a that there was a limited set they could agree on.

so after a few side business deals made by Ledglas. The team decided on a two avenues of revenue.

1. loan out the ring of hiding for magical research. after expenses 27k a month for a year, arranged through Snark,Snark and Jones law firm.
1million yen bond, and a months cancellation in both directions.
2. bounty hunting, Jef Hudson has skipped bail bond and 10% of 300K sounds good money.

background search showed he ran a casino for the triads. And was up on charges of not paying tax. This is odd as pay some tax and keeping everyone happy would be a more common way to run a casino,
The team suspect he was stealing from the triads.. ouch …
after some surveillance work and matrix hacking. The team as able to trace Jef via a taxi ride to a motel near the northern boarder.
Also Wendy found out his rank and that the triads didn’t consider him “protected” . Left token with Triad guard.
a few burn phones later (need to buy a box of these), they end up in a room with Jef.

Jef offers them 250K in cash if they get him over the boarder.
now follows an evening of moral depate.
1. return him to the cops 30k, triads will still torture him for the millions he has hidden electronically.
2. take 250k and release him in canada.
3. take 250k and some how turn him over to police of Triads for extra
4. turn him over to traids. for a guess of 50K plus good will and future work.

highlights
- do we really need money ?
- 250k , so what thats only 37k each, ( more money than they have earned in their career so far )
- take 250k and then shoot him, at least he doesnt get tortured.

final result.
get the location of the money. and release him into canada, but keep a magical link to him. dont tell police or Traids anything.

You notice the Brothers and Seb have gone. The priests are still around so are the bodyguards.

You can hear the odd bits of gun fire from the city but nothing more comes your way.

The forest ambulance turns up to help out with the injured and get you and your stuff back home.

Caspian starts to some arrangements to get his people out of the city. Having broken radio silence he is told that the body count isn’t as bad as first he feared. His men are spread out over many miles of hostile territory but almost half of them are still alive.

It takes an hour or so the sort things out during which a suited anonymous elf turns up and a strange conversation is had between him and Caspian. The gist of which is he respects the man but not his actions, but it needs to be cleared up quickly and quietly before national authorities get involved.
Caspian agrees to providing the locations of his men in return for amnesty from the council for them. He personal will return with in the week to explain his actions to the council. His Prince’s actions and whereabouts are between him and the council.
When the Elf hesitates in taking Caspian’s word on the matter, he finds him self seconds away from a formal duel. The words tho spoken quietly still stunned the Elf into respect, “A bastard I might be, but remember I am only one marriage short of being your prince. My bloodline in strong and honourable none the less. Never again question my honour unless you are armed and ready to defend your life”

The bodyguards leave their main weapons to you and leave with the Elf. Caspian leaves on his own.

as the morning begins you start to feel the effects of and unexpected all night run. Travelling back to the Forest in the ambulance you feel you might actually have been part of something which has made the world a better place.

The missing Link

Link
30th Jan 2013

Shiney squaked and I startled and while contemplating formulae for spontanious spell casting and a spell that would make others forget recent events I look up and see we have climbed down among the sewers again, there is some talk of a mission to aid these people. A competent but exhausted warrior, a monk with a box and a boy who itches my brain and when my eyes fix on him the bird pecks at my mind and whispers “shiney”.

After more observation he is a wolf in boys clothing not a good fit and has an aura of power burried beneath. My instincts scream he is trouble and to stay clear, my mind reals from mythic legend to a beastiary of creatures known to roam the world. Always fixing on the words half whispered in the very recesses of my mind “Dragon” known for shape changing and assuming forms of innocents.

Seems like they have been chased by creatures mostly moving at night who swarm and are mostly immune to gun play and stun. If they move to quickly its like they become Astral beacons and would be drawn from all over unless they move at a walking pace, the Monk can use his magic skills to shielda small bubble (He must be a very skilled Arcanist as he is able to mask his magic well.) My skills will be of little use and so our glorious leader suggested I go home. Tempting but that powerful creature dressed as a boy has peeked my interest.

They must get to the Cathedral, we have been employed to help them. In order to do so I offer my aquasition skills to forge ahead and get some wheels big enough to take everyone but clean enough for my house mate Wendy not to obsessively clean for several hours. A recently cleaned Dustvan will hold us all and not stand out moving at this snails pace. Gun play insues.

Eviction with prejudiceJob
Evictions and securement of labs belong to a subsidiary of Ares CorpFees
Not enough (never is)Plan
Under the leadership of Lance planning for a covert Op was drop in favour of the classic frontal assault with blanket option.Action
From the opening of the door surprise was lost; the team eviction process was hampered by a large beast sprit that vomited a toxic substance all over our glorious leader.
Mage support quickly kicked in with Magpie standing open mouthed at the sight of the beast whilst try to ascertain a course of action. Godboy tried to stun the said wee beasty put failed to put enough effort into the spell in fear of over exertions. Ledgeless called on his allied sprit Grom to smite the beast however the beast seemed to shrug off these heroic attacks.
The Beast now bore down on our vomiting leader when Wendy stepped into the breach and with a few massive clouts from her small childlike hands had the beast reeling. Support from Grom and then more stuns from Magpie and Godboy left the beast defeated. However the beast’s job had been done and the squatters had been warned that notice was being served.
Lance, after his floor pizza exhibition started to end lead us bravely into the lift to decent to whatever lay ahead.
Lift door opened, gas grenades flew out, no wait these had been left in the passenger seat, a single smoke grenade flew out and bounce among a squad of well armed professionals who pressed the auto fire on the nice new automatics. In that split nano second the mage support kicked in.Magpie tried to disarm his foe with a look of bewilderment and uncertainty as he tried unsuccessfully to pluck an action from his great intellect that did not involve a blanket. Godboy use the cover that could be found in the inside of the lift, he hid behind Magpie). Ledgeless ranged off this previously maligned area stun spell that prevented several trigger fingers working.
Hot metal poured into the lift missing the open mouthed Magpie and slamming into the armour of our lucky Leader. As the smoke began to develop the un-stunned squad of squatters were quickly gunned down by the reactive gunmen of the team whilst the mages reserved their energy for other dangers yet to be faced.
The fog started to clear, plan A was still in force, the charge continued, the valley of death was awaited and we had no horses …

Part 2
Having remembered history, watchers were sent into the valley before the charge. 3 Bogies on the left, watch down on the right. Our leader left (to get the gas was the rumour) Unsure what to do the Mages faffed around. Magpie (Bill) knew the routine and dug out this scrabble app, Wendy would sort this. Ledgeless was an unbeliever he sneered at the use of all the letters on a triple word score and smashed the cell phone into the floor demanding that the Magpie mage joined the action.
The last of the security crew fell to the floor ridded with automatic fire. The Magpie mage smiled, Ledgeless frown, is could not be true, Wendy was not the perfect the min maxed demi –goddess of death.” Believe” whispered the Magpie
The small 15 year old girl reloaded the 34 shot death ray as Godboy mage fingered open the door opposite and then began to video the room. Confused images of horror and destruction filled the mobile screen of the mages. Magpie looked with disgust at his broken screen as he pocketed Ledgeless’s mobile whom was in some kind of summoning trance.
More bodies fell to floor or would have if they had not been prone at the time as Wendy gave the underpaid security guards the bad news, they had been fired. 3 Large ravens circled the new room as the security guards expired. The 3 mages looked on hopeful as this was magic and Wendy would soon need their help.
The Ravens bore down on Wendy as her pubescent figure stood heroically in the doorway, to their surprise and there now spotted master, a toxic shaman of great power in the corner of the room the ravens attacks were fruitless. Wendy between reloading her gun, eviscerating the rest of the guards, fended of the ravens and bore down on the Shaman.
Ledgeless reviewed his mobile as Magpie download a copy of scrabble onto it, no wait, the Ravens has not been vanquished they could now step in the breech and join Wendy as she continued her reign of carnage. The 3 mages held hands and began to cast, it was time to throw the rule book out of the window. With ease the mages banished the Ravens sprits feeling no ill effects as they continued to look for a window for the rulebook. Magpie saw the opening under the Toxic mage then Ledgeless’s guardian Grom cut the support string as Godboy stuffed the rule book into the depths of hell.
The Toxic mage fell the floor gasping, “fly my pretties “ as the last Raven vanished and wondered how his force shield had been destroyed with such easy by the 15 year old Orc Wendy.(He was a mage he knew she was an Orc)
The looting began as the Leader returned with the gas, even the nails were taken as our Shadow runners pressed Ledgeless for another invisibility spell to get the loot unseen to the car.
Magpie, who had slumpt when the rule book had arisen from the Ashes, lay back in the get way car to dream of what apps he would load on his newly acquired phone to help him while away the time whilst Wendy laid waste to the challenges ahead………..